A-Z Fanfics

B: Benlos -Decsendants

Dating.

Dating wasn't really a thing on the Isle. Most of the residents probably didn't even know what the word meant.

There were a few exceptions, of course. Harry and Gil seemed to have some sort of thing going on behind closed doors, the looks they'd give one another in the middle of a turf war was evidence enough for that, but other than those two, people didn't date.

There were "marriages" which was more of a way to join forces to reproduce and have the bigger family, or it was a way for gangs to make an alliance which would further prevent gang wars.

The only thing that could ever come remotely close to dating on the Isle would be sleeping with someone. Oftentimes the parties would never even know the other individual's name.

There were a lot of children on the Isle who had no idea who one, in some cases both, of their parents were because of this.

Mal wasn't very interested in anything like that either, especially if the only gang that seemed to oppose her was Uma's. There was no way she would marry to stop the violence.

Carlos didn't want any part in that, the idea of having an unknown kid somewhere on the Isle terrified him. He'd want to know.

Love, in general, was a hard thing to come by. Some parents obviously had a very strong love for their children, like LeFou and his kids. Even Jafar loved Jay quite a bit, but most parents tended to use or ignore their children.

His mother, for example, held no love for him. She saw him as someone there for her own needs and would lock him in his room, which was the back of her fur closet with bear traps lining the hall so no one could get to her little minion, or her precious furs.

She treated him like a dog most days, having him fetch her things and love her and be loyal to only her. She never saw anything wrong with it and as he got older, Carlos realized that he had no idea what it felt like to be loved.

Then he'd met Evie, one of his closest friends, at a party that Mal wanted him to throw at his mother's mansion. Of course, he had agreed because everyone, except her best friend Jay, was scared of her because her mother was Maleficent.

His mother came home early, not trusting him around her furs alone, and he was beaten and thrown out into the streets, limping and broken.

In a moment, very out of character for anyone on the Isle, Mal had taken him into her gang, treating him with a kindness he'd never seen.

She wasn't kind in the same way that kids in Auradon likely were, but she didn't treat him as harsh as the other crooks and criminals on the Isle. She never hurt him the way his mother had or the way Uma's crew might have if they'd found him first.

She was loyal to him and he was loyal to her, along with his best friends Evie and Jay. They always had each other's backs, protecting one another from everything and fighting for one another against gang wars.

They were always together.

Carlos had a family and he felt what might be called love for the first time in his life.

Then he got to Auradon and met the stunningly handsome Ben Florian, the heir to the throne of Auradon. The man soon to be king.

He was incredibly kind, accommodating in a way that most of the other Auradon citizens weren't, despite them being raised to be kind to everyone.

Carlos hadn't realized what happened until it was too late.

Ben was always around to help them, to answer question or just be a generally kind guy. He stood up for them and protected them and cared like no one had before and he was adorable.

Carlos started to fall for him.

He didn't know what it was at first, the fluttery feeling he got when Ben smiled or patted him on the back in congratulations. He couldn't understand why his heart would beat quicker, the motion something he usually associated with fear, whenever Ben would stop by his room late at night to check on them and ensure their safety, even if Mal wasn't around that night.

He couldn't understand why seeing him and Mal hugging hurt so much, why it was so incredibly painful.

He didn't know why it hurt, but he'd be willing to suffer the pain as long as Ben was happy.

He didn't realize what was happening until watching Evie and Doug one night. He found himself wishing that he and Ben could be like that.

With that realization came the crushing thought that Ben was with Mal and they were happy. They were going to get married soon because the VKs had decided to be good and Ben was so irrevocably in love with Mal.

He'd never seen her so happy, so relaxed and full of life.

He wanted that for her.

She deserved it.

Carlos' heart beat painfully in his chest as he watched Ben grab Mal's hands, bringing it to his lips to kiss it, a look of pure adoration in his eyes.

No one would have to know how he was feeling.

Carlos never had any love as a kid, never knew what the word meant until he'd met Ben.

He found that, as beautiful as love could be, it was also incredibly painful, a curse, but as long as Ben was happy, he wouldn't trade their love for the world, no matter how much it may have hurt.